268 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



The lower story is unlighted, and was probably used for a store ; the 

 second, beside the light through iis door, had recessed windows to the north 

 and south. The northern one has passages from its jambs running back to 

 a garderobe eastward, and to a little chamber in the north-west angle. The 

 entrances were probably concealed by wainscoting. The attic had only a 

 small loop-hole to the east in a very deep recess. The passages in the wall 

 were similarly lighted, and the drain had a ventilator high up the north 

 wall. There are no fireplaces, and the battlements and gables have been 

 blown away. The only ornamental feature, a neatly recessed and chamfered 

 window, with a square hood and dropped ends, dates little before 1500, when 

 so many peel towers were built in Munster. 1 



History. — Lemcon was one of the Mahony Castles, built probably at 

 some older residence late in the fifteenth century. In 1427 Dermot Mahony 

 (Ui Mathgamhna), Chief of Fonn Iartharach in Iveagh, died, and was 

 succeeded as chief by his son, Conchobhar " Cabaice " (the " talker," 

 "exactor," or "cape-wearer," as his nickname is variously rendered), who 

 married a daughter of Dowd. In his later years he built Leamcon for his 

 second son, Finghin Caol (the Slender), ancestor of the Mahony Caol 

 family, who still are proud to trace their descent from the first lord of the 

 Black Castle, on Castlepoint. Finghin died in his castle of Ardantenail in 

 1473, 2 being succeeded by his brother, Donchadh Mor Ui Mathgamhna, of 

 Dunmanus. During the whole sixteenth century the castle is rarely named, 

 and played no part in history. 



In 1602, after the siege of Dunboy, the English, when reducing the 

 country, took Leineon. It was owned by Conor Mahony, son of Domnall. 

 son of Finghin Caol. On July 13th, 1602, Sir George Carew reports, among 

 the minor operations, that Captain Eoger Harvey had taken seven castles 

 strongly seated on rocks and necks of land, among the rest Lemcon. All are 

 so " neere unto the sea where ships might safely ride, and fit places for an 

 enemy to hold as, namely, Leamcon, 3 Donnegall," and others, so it was decided 

 to burn them and (Dunanore), the one already taken on Cape Clear Island. 



Canon Mahony thinks that the broken base of Lemcon was injured by 

 siege operation of a sow.' I only see normal decay and work of mischievous 

 idlers. The English had little time to drag siege appliances about; a few 

 shots, even with small cannon, sufficed, even forty years later, to take as 



' View Plate XXIII, No. 4. 



2 Annals Loch Ce. 



3 Pacata Hibernia, Book III, chapter x (p. 585). 



* Cork H. and A. Journal, vol. xvi, p. 17. The capture only took a day or less. See 

 Pacata Hibernia, as below. 



